At the press conference announcing the reforms, Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, the president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, emphasized that the Church does not decree the "annulment" of a legally valid marriage, but rather declares the "nullity" of a legally invalid marriage.[3]

History of the reforms

The reforms were the product of a group of experts in matrimonial jurisprudence.[1] According to experts at the Vatican, they are the most expansive revision in matrimonial nullity jurisprudence in centuries.[2] The reforms move away from 18th century matrimonial nullity reforms of the canonist Pope Benedict XIV.[2]

Reception

Austen Ivereigh described the reforms as "revolutionary" and says that they are the broadest reforms in 300 years.[2]

Kurt Martens, a canon law professor, worries that the reduction in procedure will not guarantee a fair trial.[2] He likened the reforms to the Catholic Church providing a means of no-fault divorce.[2] In an article published by First Things, Martens stated that many Italian jurists fear that there might be a spike in conflicts between the canonical, Italian, and European Union judicial systems, since the reforms abolish a number of "basic due process norms" which are neither respected nor acknowledged. In his view, this renders the canonical judicial system "incompatible" with modern judicial procedure.[7]